Garden trellis



Dec. 4, 1951 N. E. SMITH GARDEN TRELLIS Filed Jan. s, 1945 ff V10/MMR?,f

- [NVE/v To@ NoeV/N f .5M/TH Hna/.5, Msc-H, Evan-@ HAM/5 Patented Dec.4, 1,951

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE GAR-DEN TRELLIS Norvin E. Smith, Altadena,Calif.

Application January 8, 1945, Serial No. 571,848

. 2 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a garden trellis for use in supporting plants ofvarious types and, more particularly, to a novel embodiment of thisnature which is compressible and which can be extended or compressedreadily without the use of special tools or equipment to meetrequirements of plant growth or of seasonal storage and use.

In the home garden, as well as in commercial ventures, it is a desirablepractice to provide support for many types of garden plants, such astomato plants, peas, climbing varieties of beans, berry vines,ornamental plants, flowers, young trees, shrubs, etc. Many garden plantsgrown for their edible products tend to spread over a large area unlesstheir growth is controlled and conned to a certain predetermineddirection, preferably vertical. Controlled vertical growth not onlyresults in the use of a minimuml of ground space per plant, but makesfor easier cultivation and irrigation and -facilitates access to theplant for such necessary operations as pruning, spraying, picking, etc.My invention is well suited to the support of garden plants of thebranching or vine typebearing edible products which desirably should notcontact the ground, e. g., tomato plants, where support results in asuperior grade of fruit free of the bruises and rot normally caused bycontact with the ground. Also, many tall plants having stems that areslender in proportion to the load. carried, such as sunflowers, youngfruit trees that are beginning to bear, etc., are in need of supportduring various stages of their growth, especially when their location issuch that they are subjected to the forces caused by wind and rain.

The common practice presently employed is to drive one or more rigidstakes, usually of wood, into the ground adiacent the plant to besupported. A single stake is most often used, such stake being driveninto the ground close to the stem of the young plant, thereby tending todamage the root system of the plant. It is periodically necessary to tiethe branches of the growing plant to the stake or stakes, constantattention being vrequired to secure an orderly control of growth,Another objection to this type of support is its rigidity. Under thestress of wind and rain, such rigidity, in combination with aninadequate supporting base, will often tend to result in a loosening andeventual tipping or leveling of the stake, with the resultant loss of orextensive damage to the plant involved. Even if the stake is notloosenedV as discussed above, the great diierence between the rigidityof the stake 2 and the plant will result in widely differing degrees ofdeflection of each under the stress of wind or rain, with consequentdamage to the plant. The rigidity of the plant can be made to approachthat of the stake by tying at minute intervals, but obviously this isimpractical.l

An object of my invention is to provide a practical, inexpensive meansfor controlling the direction of growth of, and for supporting variousspecies of, garden plants. My invention consists of an adequatelyanchored base surmounted by a spiral trellis for supporting plantswithout the necessity of tying the plant to the support.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a trellis havinga degree of flexibility more nearly approaching that of the plant itsupports, yet having sufficient rigidity to provide adequate supporteven when subjected to the stress of such natural elements as wind,rain, etc., andhaving suflicient resilience to return to its initialposition when subjected to a normal deflection. This feature offlexibility and resilience permits the trellis and supported plant tosway in unison, neither deforming unduly at any one position, therebyaording maximum protection to the plant by reducing the tendency of theplant to whip in the wind. A large portion of the energy developed byany forces applied to the trellis is dissipated by the local flexing ofthe trellis during the swaying action, thereby maerially reducing theenergy applied to the base and the possibilities of loosening or tippingsame.

Another very important object of my invention is to provide a trellisformed of a suiiiciently flexible material so that the trellis may becompressed or extended readily without the use of special tools orequipment. This feature permits the trellis to be compressed into acompact, conveniently handled form requiring a minimum of storage spacewhen not in use.

Still another object is to provide a plant support having a baseencircling the plant at ground level to guide in furrowing orcultivating, thus preventing damage to the roots during such operations.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 represent an elevation view of one embodiment of my invention; A

represents a perspective view thereof;

Fig. 3 represents an elevation View thereof when compressed; and y Fig.4 is an elevation view of another embodiment of my invention. f

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the garden trellis, indicatedgenerally by the numeral I0, is shown resting upon the ground 263 and,as will be hereinafter described in detail, is attached thereto by ananchoring means 30 and 3|.

As illustrated.. the trellis I includesra single elongated member II ofcircular cross section forming a plurality of superimposed,substantially circular spiral turns or convolutions I2 that enVA circleand support the plant. The convolutions I2 are disposed to form anupwardly-converging base section I3 and an upwardly-dwer-ging'.upper`section I4, the resulting trellis. iflhavingv thegeneral configurationof an asymmetrical' hourglass;` The base section I3 provides aground-engaging.V

foundation member, preferably formed by the lowermost convolution,indicated'iby the numeral I5. The lowermost convolutionf I-Eencircleslthe stem-of the plantand rests onthe ground 20. The diameter`of the foundation-member is.Y preferably suciently large, eveny inY theabsencen of. the anchoring. means Blland to. insure adequate stabilityfor the entiretrellis vand supported plant when. any forcesduetowind,.frain,.etc.,.are. applied. The diameter ofthe foundationmemberI5is. also sufficiently large to affordY protection to the rootsystemll. of. the. plant by preventing close culti.- vationandservesasaguideforflocatingan irrigation. furrow 22..

It is an important feature of' the base section. I3 of my yinventionthat*A its convolutions. should converge.upwardly,.as shown, .bybeingofprogressive.- ly .decreasingv diameter. A-'narrow throat sectionI'dsfrmedatthe junction of thebasesectionl and the upper section Illyand'. guides the main stem ofV the growing plant along the vertical axisof '.f.

tire plant onor near this vertical axis and providing. maximum stabilityfor the combined mass of the trellis III. and the supported plant.

As illustrated in Figs. land 2, the convolutions of the uppersectionr I4 diverge upwardly from the junction of the base. and upper sections'.The diverging effect is preferably produced by"f`orm'ing eachsuccessive.A convolution With-a progressively increasing diameter. Thisparticular embodiment ofmyl invention is well suited `to the support ofplants having a tendency tdl branchprofuselyj' a short distance Vfromthe ground. The branches are4 free to extend laterally betweenrandengagetheseveral convolutions, thereby .supportingthe plant. Y

My invention provides' a trellis `characterized*by its inherentflexibility and resilience. When the trellis is deected from' aninitial'upright positien by'the'- stress of wind or the like; thedeflection is distributed along the entirev length ofr the el'ongatedmember If and'` issmall'at anyo'n'efp'oint on the: member IFI. With the:forces-.normally encountered a iiexible:1 trellisv wiltV result despite:theusef-o. an: extremely rigid.materialza-nd... more importa-na. since Athe stress. at.V any Aone-pointl is small, a exible material having alow yieldpoint may be usedwithout permanent. deformation of theelongated. member I I, thereby providing a resilient trellis. From thesepremises, it' can be seen thata large numberof materials maybe employedsatisfactorily; TheV selection of a material is dictated to's'ome extentby the'condit'ions under which the trellis is used. Aheavy plant' in awindswept location willrequirea-stiier, more resilient material than alight plant in a sheltered location. It has been my experience that atrellis made of common iron wire of approximately one-quarter inchdiameter will meet the requirements of most garden plants under normalconditions. This material has the advantages of being plentiful andrelatively inexpensive.

Ordinarily, means for anchoring the trellis to the ground are notrequired since the weight of ther trellis: andV` supported plant; and:any incidental accumulation of earth onthe foundation member I5, due tocultivating and furrowing operations, combine to prevent tipping of thetrellis However, if the trellis is used in a very windy location wheredeiections are encountered thatrnayf be sufficient to shift the centerof gravity-,laterally outside of an imaginary Vertical cylindrical'surface'bounded by the foundation ,memberf I5, then additional anchoringof the trellis is essential. The most convenient means for anchoring.the. trellis includes.4 anchoring members or pins inserted. in the.vground as indicated by the-numerals@ and 3.|. The anchoringpin, 3U is.formed by bending, the endof. the foundationmember I5` downwardly at 32substantially parallelto the Vertical' axis A-A 4of the trellis.. Awsupplementary anchoring. pin 3I is pivotally attached to the foundationmember I5 by. looping. one Yend of-the anchoring. pin around. thefoundation member. 1.5,. as indicated at 33;. Additional. supplementaryYanchoring pins of. the type shown at 31. may be. used, if desired, by.spacing. them uniformly .around the. foundationmember. I5. The lowerendlof eachanchor.- ing.- pntis'. usually-sharpened to facilitateinsertion into. the. groundQ The use of anchoringpins attached to. the.peripheryv ofthe foundation member, as.A described',. precludesthedamage to the root systemKV that Ywould resultlthrough the use of a.central stake.

When.. the. trellis isbeingv stored', shipped..v etc., it. can .be`reduced. to. they compact configuration of Fig. 3 by compressing.. the.trellis. downwardly and retracting the anchoring pins'upwardly substantiallyinto a Zone Within. thelowermostY convolution I5'. Thisoperation maybe performed by hand Without the. use. of special tools or.equipment and the convolutions of the trellis need notbe tied togetherunless. the trellis is formed of a highly resilientmaterial, such asspring wire. Whenlthepref'erred material, common `iron wire, is used,permanent deformation occurs and no tyingisl required. iIn addition, thetrellis, as an article of manufacture, may be' fabricated to assumeA theshape indicated; by Fig. 3 when the preferred material' is used.

. The` preferredpractice vis to, installV the trellis while the .plantrequiring support is small.r The anchoring. pins, .if used,. areextended downwardly and inserted in the ground. so that .theconvolutions ofthe trellis vencirclethe plant. The trellis isthenextended to any desired height by placing thefeeton the foundationmember I Scand pulling upwardlyzon the uppermostconvolution I8'. Theheight' ofthe trellis may be adiusted during the growth oftheplant byvarying the spacing. of all or 'part of thelconvolutions' to compensatefor errors in determining theinitialheight.

Another' embodiment of' my. invention is illus--Y trated in Fig. 4,differing only from the embodimentheretofore `describedV in that theconvolutions ofV theupper section I4 are of'substantially constantdiameter. This, embodiment is Well suited to thesupport of tall plantswith aslender stem; or for'l such vine-like climbing plants as beans-'orpeas.- The-tendrilsof Vthel -latterwil1 engage the convolutions of thetrellis and the growing vine will follow the convolutions with littleattention and no necessity for tying.

The general conguration of the trellis can `be altered by means of uppersections of various shapes as determined by the requirements of theplant being supported. Congurations can be devised to impart distinctiveshapes to ornamental shrubs and climbing vines to produce an estheticeifect. These and other modications can be incorporated withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An adjustable-height collapsible garden trellis for supporting plantswhich increase substantially in height and in weight of foliage andfruit as they mature, said garden trellis including a single length ofcommon iron wire shaped as a double conical unit with a lowermost turndisposed in a plane to form a foundation member, with progressivelydecreasing-diameter spaced turns spiraling inwardly and upwardly fromsaid foundation member to a smallest turn and with progressivelyincreasing-diameter spaced turns spiraling outwardly and upwardly fromsaid smallest turn to end in an uppermost turn of approxim-ately thesame diameter as said lowermost turn, all of said turns except saidlowermost being supported exclusively by the turns therebeneath and eachof said turns between the lowermost and uppermost being subjected totorsional forces due to the weight of the turns thereabove, said doubleconical unit being disposable around a growing plant with saidfoundation member resting on the ground in an annular zone around theplant so that the plant can grow upwardly within said double conicalunit and spread outwardly between said spaced turns, the weight of thefoliage and fruit not otherwise supported by said plant being borneexclusively by said turns and being transferred through said turns tosaid foundation member, said iron wire having a relatively low yieldpoint to permit periodic increase in height of said trellis during plantgrowth by standing on said foundation member and pulling upwardly onsaid uppermost turn to stress the iron beyond its then yield point anddeform it permanently to hold said uppermost turn at an increased heightposition, said double conical unit being collapsible into a doublespiral unit for between-season storage by forcing said uppermost turninto contact with said lowermost turn, such forcing stressing the ironbeyond its yield point so that said unit remains in its collapsed stateby the permanent deformation of said iron wire resulting from suchcollapsing.

2. An adjustable-height garden trellis comprising a single length ofcommon iron wire shaped as a double flat spiral conguration, a firstapproximate half length of said wire starting with an external turn andspiraling inwardly with successive smaller turns in a substantially flatspiral to a smallest turn, the remainder of said length starting withsaid smallest turn and spiraling outwardly with successively largerturns in a substantially flat spiral to an external turn, saidsubstantially at spirals lying in closely adjacent planes to form arelatively compact double spiral unit, said unit being placeable on theground with one external turn in contact therewith in an annular zoneand extending beyond the next inner turn a sufficient distance to beengaged at opposed points by the feet of the operator, the otherexternal turn being engageable by the hands of the operator to be lifteda desired distance sufficient to permanently expand said double spiralunit into a double conical configuration, such expansion imposing artorque on said successively smaller and successively larger turnssufficient to exceed the yield point of said wire of such turns andpermanently deform same, the unit of double conical configuration beingplaceable around a growing plant so that the plant will grow upwardlywithin said double conical unit with its branches and foliage extendingin part outwardly between the expanded turns, the weight of saidbranches and foliage not otherwise supported by the plant itself beingborne exclusively by said turns and being transferred through said turnsto the external turn in contact with the ground in said annular zone tomaintain the double spiral unit stable against tipping.

NORVIN E. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 664,837 Davis Jan. 1, 19012,003,101 Asman May 28, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,055Great Britain Jan. 25, 1913 OTHER REFERENCES Publication, WashingtonPost, june 21, 1936, section VIII, page 8, Parade of Youth.

